Patient, Public & Media Information

Clinician-Patient Communication

Communication skills are important in the patient/physician relationship for both understanding and trust. Improved patient and physician communication can lead to improved satisfaction, adherence to treatments, outcomes, and reduced liability. Because communication skills can be taught, orthopaedic surgeons should strive to improve these skills throughout our careers.

Public opinion surveys conducted by the AAOS reveal that Americans view orthopaedic surgeons as "high tech, low touch." Therefore, it is important to find new ways to improve our communication skills as part of our continuing medical education. The Institute for Healthcare Communication provides Communications Skills Mentoring Workshops for orthopaedic surgeons. To learn more, contact the Institute at: